New display at Worcester Public Library allows fans to learn about history of Negro Leagues

Joe McDonald, Telegram & Gazette
·3 min read
A child runs past a display panel on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at the Worcester Public Library Wednesday. The display highlights the life of baseball player, scout and coach Buck O’Neil.
A child runs past a display panel on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at the Worcester Public Library Wednesday. The display highlights the life of baseball player, scout and coach Buck O’Neil.

WORCESTER — The first-ever Negro Leagues Baseball Museum exhibit is on display at the Worcester Public Library.

It’s a collaborative effort to honor Black History Month on display through April 2. The exhibit is on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. It features highlights from the late Buck O’Neil, who was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Red Sox legend David Ortiz, in July.

“Worcester is very fortunate to be welcoming a Negro Leagues Baseball exhibit to our city for the first time and we’re thankful to everyone involved for making this happen,” Worcester Mayor Joe Petty said. “We know that it will be a great asset for our community to enjoy in the library during Black History Month and through the end of March and into April.”

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The Worcester Public Library also conducted a Zoom seminar with local elementary students Tuesday to celebrate the Fourth Annual Celebration of Life to honor Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. It served as the prequel for Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Negro Leagues exhibit at the library.

An exhibit on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum opened at the Worcester Public Library Wednesday. The display highlights the life of baseball player, scout and coach Buck O’Neil.
An exhibit on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum opened at the Worcester Public Library Wednesday. The display highlights the life of baseball player, scout and coach Buck O’Neil.

“All of us at the Worcester Public Library are excited about this collaboration with the WooSox and the United Way of Central Massachusetts,” Worcester Public Library Executive Director Jason Homer said. “This will be the first-ever Negro Leagues Baseball exhibit we’ve had on display at WPL and we look forward to celebrating the life and legacy of the great Buck O’Neil. We hope the community will visit our main library to view this exhibit and learn all about the inspiring life of this baseball legend.”

John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Jr. was born Nov. 13, 1911, in Carrabelle, Florida. He joined the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues in 1938 and eventually was named player/manager in 1948. He remained with the club until 1955. He played in three Negro American League All-Star games and in two Negro American League World Series.

O’Neil also served in the U.S. Navy in the mid-1940s.

Dr. Charles Steinberg, president of the Worcester Red Sox, speaks during the opening of an exhibit on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at the Worcester Public Library Wednesday. The display highlights the life of baseball player, scout and coach Buck O’Neil.
Dr. Charles Steinberg, president of the Worcester Red Sox, speaks during the opening of an exhibit on loan from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at the Worcester Public Library Wednesday. The display highlights the life of baseball player, scout and coach Buck O’Neil.

Following his career with the Monarchs, O’Neil became a scout for the Chicago Cubs. He became Major League Baseball’s first black coach for the Cubs in 1962 and signed Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Lou Brock. O’Neil also worked as a scout for the Kansas City Royals and was elected in Hall of Fame in 2022 as an executive.

“We’re thrilled that the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will have an exhibit on display for the very first time in Worcester, a city rich with baseball history,” president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick said. “We applaud the WooSox Foundation, Worcester Public Library and the United Way of Central Massachusetts for coming together and making this happen. We know that the Worcester community will enjoy learning more about the legacy of the great Buck O'Neil and Negro Leagues Baseball."

—Contact Joe McDonald at JMcDonald2@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeyMacHockey.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: First Negro Leagues Baseball Museum a hit at Worcester Public Library